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UK bomb hoax suspect faces mental assessment

The Associated Press

Updated:
08/06/2014 03:57:06 AM EDT

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A military fighter jet escorts a passenger jet as it comes in to land at Manchester airport, Manchester, England, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. Police say they have arrested a man on suspicion of making a hoax bomb threat after Qatar Airways Flight 23 landed with a military fighter escort at Britain's Manchester Airport. (AP Photo/Matthew Cossar)

LONDON (AP) — British police say a 47-year-old man suspected of making a bomb hoax aboard a Qatar Airways flight has been referred for assessment of his mental health.

Greater Manchester Police said Wednesday that the man was examined by medical staff and a mental health team following his arrest. Police have not released the man's name.

British fighter jets were scrambled to escort Qatar Airways Flight 23, which carryied 269 passengers and 13 crew on a flight from Doha, Qatar. It landed without incident Tuesday at Manchester Airport, the flight's original destination.

Qatar Airways said in a statement that the crew on the Airbus A330-300 received a "threat about a possible device on board" and immediately alerted British authorities.